The Great Wall at Mutianyu

The Great Wall at Mutianyu Reviews

I've been to Mutianyu four times this year due to out-of-town visitors wanting to go to The Great Wall. Luckily, I've discovered a bus (916) that will take me to Huairou from my location in Shunyi District. There are a few small hurdles to get there, but after the first try, I now know how to do it with ease. I get off at the last stop, then start walking toward the main road. Within seconds, I get all kinds of drivers trying to take me to the Wall. haha! I've always been able to talk them down to 15 rmb per person. This is a fair price, so I advise you to learn how to say it in Chinese. 20 is also reasonable. If they won't accept, just keep walking. I promise, somebody will ask you if you're going to Mutianyu. Eventually, one of them will accept your offer of 15. By the way, if you're in the city, you can start out on the bus from Dongzhimen.

Badaling was my first Great Wall experience, and compared with Mutianyu, I would choose Mutianyu every time because there are less people that visit this location. On top of that, you get the option to slide down the hill on a toboggan!! How cool is that!! (It was really cool!!!) I highly recommend Mutianyu. I've been there in winter and spring. It's great!

There is one small issue I'd like to add, though. The workers at the front gate are not that friendly. They can actually be kind of snotty. Maybe I get the same lady every time, I don't know, but there is always an attitude. Also, one time I got there pretty late and the woman at the cable car ticket office tried to scam us by telling us we could only pay a one-way ticket up. We thought we'd have to walk down, but the guy on top let us on. When we reached the bottom we were escorted to the same lady where we were apparently supposed to pay the full one-way price to come back down. I refused to pay it and told her we'd pay the balance of the discounted round-trip fair. She mumbled and gave an attitude, then tossed the money at us. Anyway, watch the workers here. You don't have to deal with them much, but don't let them con you.

Tip: Take your own bottled water! You'll be doing a bit of hiking, even if you take the chair lift, and you'll need water, especially in the summer. If you opt to walk up to the Wall and skip the chair lift, you'll be sweating, even in the winter, and they charge an exorbitant amount of money for water once your reach the top.

Thanks for the congrats on the featured review! I didn't see it for five days because I just got back from Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province, China (the Avatar Mountains). Hope to write a review about that soon. :D

You have to believe me, I went to this section of the Great Wall for more than 20 times (as of 3 October 2015). I went there in Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. I went there on polluted day, rainy day, snowey day, sunny day. If one ever beat me to go there more than me, it has to be a tour guide. Actually, not only this section of the Great Wall that I went, but I also went on the restored and unrestored section, I even participated on The Great Wall Marathon (you know we ran up and down the hill?)

This section of the Great Wall is less crowded than the infamous Badaling Section but it is to me much more beautiful than the Badaling one. Why people are talking about Badaling? Because most tour operator will always take you there if you are the first time in China, in order to combine the tour with Ming Tomb (and secretly Jade Factory). I think if you want to visit one time in Beijing with the restrict day (meaning you have not much time), it is best to use that Badaling Section with the tour to combine and do a maximum to save time.

Come back to our wall, The Great Wall of Mutianyu has 22 watch tower (I been there all :-) ). Once you reach at the Main Gate (where you will park your car and buy the ticket). There is several tickets to buy. First is the shuttle bus ticket (15RMB Round trip), Entrance to the Great Wall Ticket (45RMB), Cable Car (Round Trip 100RMB), Lifting Chair 100 RMB (Round Trip).

I mostly use this form, I bought shuttle bus ticket 15, plus Entrance Ticket 45, then Cable car (one way) 80 and then I will go down by tobogan. For the wall, it is possible to walk up and down using the footpath. It is clean and have staircase around thousands step. I ususally taking the cable car up and at the wall, turn right, walking toward the watch tower number 7 which there is a tobogan and ride down with one (make sure you sit on the one which the Frist Lady, Mrs. Michelle Obabma was riding..hahaha just joking). In this case you will be paying more because the Single Trip Ticket for Cable Car is 80 RMB while round trip is 100 RMB, plus single trip for tobogan is 80 RMB, in total you will pay 160 RMB (this is not including the bus from ticket office to the Great Wall Entrance)

The second option is to go up by lifting chair and down by the Tobogan (next to each other), that would cost you 100 RMB.

The third option is going up by foot, there is a footpath, which lead you to the Watch Tower Number 10 then you can decide either walk up (turn left) and go down by Cable Car or turn right and go down by lifting chair or tobogan. The one way ticket cost 80 RMB. Or you just simply save money and walking down by footpath (several way) but be careful of your knees.

This section of the Great Wall was mostly visited by the leader in several country. To be strange enough, this section will be visited by the Democrat and other will be by the Republican. To me, even I am mostly visit this Great Wall but it doesn't show a hint of my political view, because I haven't any. :D